Shake-up In China Under Way

May 6, 1985|By Joseph A. Reaves, Chicago Tribune

PEKING — China`s two most powerful leaders are about to complete a wholesale political shake-up that will bring hundreds of young leaders to top-echelon positions and revamp the Communist Party Politburo before year`s end, diplomats say.

The shake-up, engineered by China`s top leader, Deng Xiaoping, and its Communist Party boss, Hu Yaobang, has been under way for more than a year. But diplomats said last week that the drive is in its final stages and should be completed after two important deadlines in June and September.

``If everything continues according to plan, and I see no indication that it won`t, Deng and Hu will have completely secured their positions by next fall,`` said a Western diplomat who specializes in internal Chinese politics.

According to the plan, laid out by Hu in a series of surprisingly candid remarks recently, hundreds of younger, brighter leaders will step into ``front-line`` political positions by June. Dozens more will take up seats in the Communist Party central committee and Politburo after a special party conference in September.

In the Soviet Union and most other communist countries, that might be called a party ``purge.`` Here in China, it`s simply called political maneuvering.

The aim of all this maneuvering is something more than a straightforward youth drive, though both Hu and Deng recognize the importance of breaking the geriatric malaise that has plagued communist countries for decades.

What Hu, 70, and Deng, 80, want foremost is to ensure that their pragmatic modernization policies continue after they leave the scene.

Linked to that is the need for an orderly transition of power and a repudiation of past policies, a final closing of the door on the Cultural Revolution and a permanent opening of the door to the outside world.

One of the surest signs that everything is going according to plan came last week when People`s Daily, the mouthpiece of party politics in China, announced that 1,000 middle-aged officials had been selected to form the core of the country`s future leadership. In effect, the article said Deng had hand-picked the people he wants to take over the running of the government.